More voters support funding the U.S.-Mexico border than foreign conflicts
American voters across party lines support more money to bolster security at the southern border, while support for countries embroiled in conflict highlights the stark partisan divide, the latest study says NBC News National Poll.
The poll found that about three in four registered voters — 74% — support more funding for security along the U.S. border with Mexico, including 93% of Republicans, 74% of independents and 58% of Democrats.
The new poll comes as lawmakers consider an aid package to support Ukraine and Israel amid their ongoing wars that would also include immigration measures, with congressional leaders pushing to pass the package by the end of the year.
“By and large, Americans are on the side of Israel, but there are major generational divisions here, including on whether to provide more humanitarian aid to Gaza versus more funding and military aid to Israel,” the Democratic pollster said Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates, which conducted the poll along with GOP pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies.
“And other funding-related issues – the majority support funding border security assistance to Ukraine and Taiwan,” Horwitt added. “But outside Taiwan, there are partisan differences on these issues, suggesting a difficult path ahead.”
The poll shows Democrats are more likely to support humanitarian aid to Gaza: 80% of them support such funding, compared to 58% of independents and just 38% of Republicans.
Majorities of all ages support aid to Gaza, with higher shares of younger voters supporting aid. But the generational gap is even greater when it comes to funding and military aid to Israel in its war with Hamas.
Only a third of voters ages 18 to 34 support more funding and military aid, while a significant majority of older voters favor support for Israel, including 75% of voters ages 65 and older.
Support for funding Israel also runs along party lines: Two-thirds of GOP voters favor more funding and aid, compared to 45% of Democrats. Among more progressive Democrats who say they voted for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., or Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., in the 2020 primary, that support is even lower — just 28% support more aid to Israel .
Democrats are far more likely to support aid to Ukraine during its war with Russia: 77% support more funding and military aid for the country, compared to just 35% of Republicans.
This Republican opposition is strongest among GOP voters aligned with former President Donald Trump and his “Make America Great Again” movement – 76% of self-described MAGA Republicans oppose more aid to Ukraine, while non- MAGA Republicans more evenly divided on aid to Ukraine.
The poll found bipartisan support for more funding and military aid for Taiwan as the country faces the potential threat of a Chinese invasion, with slim majorities of Republicans, Democrats and independents supporting more aid.
“This currently lesser-known issue really holds its own when compared to front-and-center trouble spots like Ukraine and Israel,” said Micah Roberts of Public Opinion Strategies on funding and military aid to Taiwan.
The NBC News poll was conducted Nov. 10-14 and surveyed 1,000 registered voters – 833 by cell phone – and has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
